Liquid compositions, particularly aqueous detergent compositions comprising appreciable amounts of surfactants may be difficult to formulate, given their tendency to split into two or more phases, such as one or more surfactant-rich phases and a water-rich phase. Further technical difficulties may arise when particulate matter is to be suspended in surfactant-containing liquid compositions as the particulates may have a tendency to rise to the top or to settle to the bottom of the composition over time. Yet consumers delight in fluid detergents offering stabilized particulate materials which can deliver cleaning performance, fabric care benefits, appearance benefits, and/or visual or aesthetic cues. Crystallizable glycerides including hydrogenated castor oil (HCO, Thixcin R®, castor wax, trihydroxystearin) has been used as a rheology-modifying agent or external structurant for many years. When crystallized to fiber/thread-like crystals, HCO can stabilize liquid compositions and prevent separation from the liquid phase or prevent coagulation of liquid crystals or suspended particles.
Aqueous laundry detergent compositions which are stabilized through the use of external structuring system(s) (ESS) comprising hydroxyl-containing stabilizers have been described in the past. The ESS is added to the detergent composition to obtain desired finished product rheology and structuring. Before the ESS is blended into the finished product it is transported through pipe flow and pumps in and out of storage tanks, and therefore, the fibers of the crystallizable glycerides of ESS are subjected to shear. It is known that due to shear, fibers of the crystallizable glycerides lose part of its structuring ability, because the fibers of the crystallizable glyceride undergo irreversible aggregation and/or breakage under flow. It is estimated that 20-30% of structuring stability is lost during making process off ESS, storage, transportation and making progress of the final product. This leads to higher ESS quantities required and/or not optimal rheology/structuring in the final product.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide ESSs suitable for detergent compositions to provide improved shear sensitivity.
It has now been discovered that the above mentioned objective can be met by using a combination of crystallizable glyceride(s), anionic surfactant and an organic non-amino functional alcohols in the ESS. Furthermore, ESS according to the present invention allows use of a lower level of crystallizable glyceride(s), whilst providing desired structuring for the final product.